People the police. We have a great state. To the family said loved ones, these great carolinians, we find our. We are grateful for their service. [applause] we have once again with us tonight our first lady, my right, arson and you junior. My wife peggy, we will start with you,. [applause] i appreciate that. [laughter] our son henry junior and his wife virginia. [applause] or 16 monthold daughter and our granddaughter is at home daughter mary rogers enters husband sam is here. [applause] cameras from San Francisco but they moved to charleston so its okay. [applause] off their 19yearold son is at home. I told those children we know where those babies come from and we are waiting on some more. [laughter] no pressure. [laughter] Lieutenant Governor and her husband are here tonight. Please stand and be recognized. [applause] finally, the best cabinet in the nation South Carolina please stand and be recognized. [applause] s if youre looking for the ateam, there is right there. Like to acknowledge Supreme Court independence tonight including chief justice retired after seven years, we look forward to working with our next chief justice. [applause] we thank you. Mark. [applause] thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, theres no higher honor on earth to be selected by people who know you best to serve in positions like this. I think you and i will not let you down. We will continue to act boldly, think they can building on our success. My question is the magnificent state will look like in 100 years from now. Our quality of life and Cultural Heritage in Natural Resources and prosperous economy make us unique and offer enormous opportunity. Our economy in 2023 want to get created a record budget supports about 4 billion in Capital Investment in 120,000 jobs group 2022 was people with 10 billion in Capital Investments just since 2017 weve announced over 36. 4 billion in new investments and 86000 new jobs. U. S. Census bureau South Carolina but the nation and population growth last year. Also personal Income Growth rate is second in the country third quarter, we are firing on all cylinders. [applause] South CarolinaTourism Industry continues to drive in 2023 meeting exceeding recordbreaking tourism growth. South carolina named as one of the top five golf destinations in the world invest in the country. According to the National Association golf operator, the only state in the United States to make this list, this reputation was enhanced by the announcement of a new g8 tournament which will debut in may joining parish tournament. Since 1950, the track provided generations of fans with memories, breathtaking issues and a lifetime of stories to be told and retold. Nascar cup races are South Carolinas largest professional sporting events, 118 million Economic Impact in the state. You have to see it to believe it. [applause] once again charleston was named the number one city in the south in 2020. The number one city in the United States by travel for the 11th year in a row. [applause] number 1000 and the Readers Choice ranking best islands in america and Readers Digest magazine and the nicest place in america. In announce their confidence in our people by their substantial Capital Investment in 2023. If the leaders will be stand, who will respond when you are all pending. Revitalized american brand next generation truck rugged suv with a 2 billiondollar investment in 4000 jobs president and ceo please stand. In charleston county, a corporation will invest more than 300 jobs for lithium hydroxide facility. Mr. Ken masters, please stand. Stay standing. Thank you. [applause] make the investment more than half a billion dollars and 300 jobs will produce rare earth Permanent Magnets and help secure the United States pipeline for rare earth magnets only such facilities in the western hemisphere. Please stand. In lawrence county, expanding operations for the growing and evolving mobility infrastructure with 500 Million Investment in 400 jobs Vice President plant manager please stand. Semiconductor manufacturing operations please stand. Thank you. In richmond county. To produce lithium ion Battery Materials with more than 300 new jobs the stand. Familyowned Beverage Company will establish operations with 130 Million Investment and 103 new jobs. Please stand. Secretary of commerce and his remarkable team working around the clock to produce successors please stand. [applause] we thank you all, youve made the right decisions in 2023 and we are going to boom again in 2024. How about power . We need power. South Carolina National leader in advanced manufacturing and we are leading the way in the new Innovative Electric vehicle battery manufacturing. Home to 4 million electric Vehicle Manufacturers. The nations largest ev Battery Recycling facility and electric Vehicle Manufacturers supply chain. Our leadership has displayed the south nexus advanced Resilient Energy in the department of commerce this was developed in collaboration with research universities, Technical Colleges in Savannah LaboratoryEconomic Development nonprofits and businesses. This cooperative spirit in this onestop shop to recruit and assist with electric vehicle manufacturing the state. Resources and Economic Development working group. This coordinates the States Energy stakeholders to ensure they have the energy necessary to meet the needs of our future. We know will need more, the question is, how much power will South Carolina need and how will it be produced and transmitted . Recently xe mixes the most commerce Economic Development administration designation is one of the Technology Innovation post which allows this federal funding and over 400 applications South Carolina was one of the 31 select is a federal hub and compete with federal Grant Funding annually. 15 million to support this and serves as the state match required for this competition. We are going to win and you will love the story. The Technical College there and we could hardly fit into the rooms. We explained exactly what we are doing because we already started this area of power. The we had to put together and we came back and got a call from secretary rolando in charge of the department of commerce. A highly specialized training workforce of almost 20000 south carolinians and will need them soon. My executive budget recommends 50 million degree specialized ev Training Institutes at the Technical College campuses which is the best Technical College campus in the United States. Lets talk about is for a moment. Weve gotten where we are without them and we do not need to know. We are a right to work state, the lowest Union Membership in the country. Carefully through Education Training and Business Recruitment to earn her record of prosperity and will continue to preserve and enhance it. Our prosperity and generations of south carolinians to come basic clear and present danger from the big labor unions theyve crippled and distorted congress Industries Cities and other states. You are familiar, is taken years but theyve managed to do it now their membership is at an alltime low so now they are looking at us and over southeastern states none of which want or need labor unions. In 2021 International Law association sued the maritimes shipping carriers calling on charlestons stateoftheart terminal. Over the past two and a half years which darted as a secondary boycott to force the state Courts Authority see state jobs to union labor evolved into a broader threat to current and future prosperity. The claims are run by state employees crossed over 10 million each and learn how to run and thats why we have state employees running those. The secondary boycott was an issue rejected and later resurrected by president bidens appointees on the National Labor relations board. Weve taken it all the way to the United StatesSupreme Court in the conduct and entire manufacturers are no longer the targets of labor organizers. Along the coast now finds a target, too. It seems no business or employee is safe from disingenuous campaigns of union infiltration. Bargaining prosperity funding boycotts and pressure campaigns. Will not let our states economy suffer or become Collateral Damage and labor unions seek to consume new page numbers and who will not allow administrations growth Union Policies to chip away South Carolinas interest. We will win this battle. [applause] [applause] superior, we have the largest reserved balance in the lowest amount of general obligations and recommended for additional funds in the states rainy day fund. 54. 3 million so maintains the balance of 1. 6 million equal to 10 of general appropriations act. A few years ago South Carolina had the highest personal income tax in the southeast and 12 highest in the nation. Two years ago i found the law, the largest tax code in state history which will cut rates of 6 in the next few years. Dropping it from 6. 46. 3 . If future revenues allow to speed up income tax cut federal taxpayers keeping more. [applause] as we seek prosperity to expanding, we must be alert to remove obstacles. Laws and regulations provide guidelines in the prosperity in the system provides guidelines and injury get roles on joint liability entered developments of uncertainty and business arena and uncertainty is the enemy. Provide accountability and compensation without damaging our economy and i know we can do it. Words and judges who must ensure the public has confidence in our states judges. Circumstances and events continue to raise questions is past time for accountability in the Selection Process which provides the bulk of our judges, over 300 and subject to the senates advice and consent and instituted a new procedure to complete detailed applications and dave confidentiality protections and authorize the release of records related to any attorney or judicial disciplinary seedings. This process aligns with processes by Senate Committees on statewide appointments on the government and by those of the Judicial Commission evaluating judicial candidate by the General Assembly. South carolina is one of two states for the legislature chooses the judges election being unique in itself signifies good nor bad, is the process that counts. Rule of law is in our society and constitutional. We need judges to understand the structure as it is written as it returns issues and authorities in the states never granted to the federal government to begin with is essential the General Assembly collect qualified intelligent who can analyze these questions raised with frequency and our state. To provide a separate and independent judiciary early on representing executive branch should play a role in selecting judicial candidates for the General Assembly exercises authority. It served our nation well in advance and sick consent of the state and inspire the confidence of our people and encourage attorneys to seek public service. State roads, bridges and highways in our prosperity and rapid growth outpacing capacities and 9000 bridges on primary and secondary roads. Some in a state of disrepair requiring restrictions for trucking, projects that are recommended 500 million from the exemption fund appropriated to the South Carolina department of transportation emergency bridge replacement and repairs. This will keep us moving. After 30 years of Service Secretary of the South Carolina department of transportation announced retirement. One of the greatest transportation secretaries in our states history. Allow the department to flourish under her leadership. Transformative Infrastructure Projects consistently delivering people South Carolina and things the legacy of excellence in place the agency in a position for years to come. Restoring the agencys finances and financial rotation and leading strategic ten year plan accelerating critical statewide projects. Her ability to work within the department results Infrastructure Projects shes helped lead our state for a number of disasters including the floods of 2015 and hurricane fonts under her leadership and partnership. In a successful and reversal during coastal evacuation. [applause] [applause] i ask again the question South Carolina look like in 100 years and overstates and plan wisely, postings are gone, they are gone. Lakes and marshes in the land for kings and queens of all fertile and brimming with abundance, incomparable heritage distinguishing from others and strength and beauty we must never lose spirit the opposing objectives the must be balanced against the other and they are complementary intertwined and inseparable depend on the other to strengthen one is to strengthen the other. Culturally and environmentally monuments, lands and waters, overcome by Development Management flooding and erosion, is our duty to preserve and protect our history, culture and environment and access to them before they are lost forever. Other organizations dedicated to these and you may remember the cautionary lyrics and you dont know what you got until its gone. Im recommending 33 million appropriated to identify preserve culturally or environmentally Significant Properties and provide Disaster Recovery efforts and nourishment projects along the coast. K12 education is universal key to a prosperous and happy future. Working together we must continue to invest in Public Education about the positive impact of our investments, implement and 4k continues to grow 17437 children, publicschool private School Childcare and an additional 2500 children expected to enroll in the program and remove this increased. This program is increasing the number of children in kindergarten ready to learn your approximately 41 of children participate in a full day foryearold kindergarten ready for kindergarten compared to 27 of children in poverty is not participated in the program. We know it works in its final typical, we have to start with education right at the bottom and those young years. The South Carolina board of education released results South Carolina college and career ready assessment in reading and mathematics 22 23. The first time in recent history at least half of the students in grades three through eight. This is good news but not enough. We must do more, we must continue to invest in Early Literacy and personal development and science of reading. If they cannot read, they cannot drive. This will ensure all children read on grade level by third grade. We know students who cannot read proficiently by third grade or four times more likely to drop out of high school. In addition, this executive budget provides 30 million for the Education Scholarship trust fund. Starting this year these funds will allow low income parents to choose the type of education environment and construction that best suits their childs unique needs. Regarding teachers, regarding teachers, we must continue our remarkable progress to raise teacher pay. In School Year Year 20171e minimum starting salary for teaching South Carolina was 30,1